amphiscians
[ am-fish-ee-uh nz, -fish-uh nz ]
/ æmˈfɪʃ i ənz, -ˈfɪʃ ənz /
plural noun Archaic.
inhabitants of the tropics.
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Nearby words
- amphipod,
- amphipodous,
- amphiprostyle,
- amphiprotic,
- amphisbaena,
- amphistomatal,
- amphistome,
- amphistomous,
- amphistylar,
- amphithalamus
Also am·phis·ci·i [am-fish-ee-ahy] /æmˈfɪʃ iˌaɪ/.
Origin of amphiscians
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Amphiscians
1620s, from Medieval Latin Amphiscii, from Greek amphiskioi "inhabitants of the tropics," literally "throwing a shadow both ways," from amphi- "on both sides" (see amphi-) + skia "shadow" (see shine (v.)). Inhabitants of torrid zones, so called because they are "people whose shadow is sometimes to the North, and sometimes to the South" [Cockerham, 1623].
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper